True Feelings
by Anton-kun
Summary: Everyone seems to think that Robin and Chrom make a perfect couple. Robin is always denying this, stating that there is no room for romance during a war. However, when she starts looking at Chrom with these thoughts in mind, something that she doesn't want to believe exists starts stirring inside her. Is it too late for her to be honest with her own feelings?
1. Uncertainty

**I was checking some old stories from my previous account and I decided to revive my only Fire Emblem story, "True Feelings", because I love the series and I felt so awful for just abandoning it. I know how it feels when a story you follow just dies without updates. This story will mostly follow the plot of my old one, but I'm rewriting this from scratch. I hope that both old and new readers will enjoy this story and that my old readers will find their way here!**

**I will use Robin's default name, because it just sounds best to me. Like "True Feelings", Robin's appearance is pretty much the default female Avatar except the fact her hair is blonde. It's mostly because I think that white hair makes her look old...**

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><p>"Robin, watch out!" Chrom shouted as he dashed across the battlefield to shield his tactician from an incoming attack. With the Falchion, he reflected the sharp blades of wind magic.<p>

"Chrom! I should have been more careful... are you hurt?" Robin asked, her eyes searching the battlefield for a nearby healer.

"No, I'm fine. It would have been worse if you had taken that hit." He smiled at her while he rubbed his last Vulnerary onto his wounds. He had reflected most of the spell, but the wind had cut his right arm.

Robin sighed as she looked at his wounds in concern. She put down her magic tome on the ground carefully and then slowly removed her ribbons from her hair, making her long blonde hair fall around her face. Without saying anything, she wrapped the ribbons around Chrom's arm, making sure that they stopped the bleeding.

"Robin, your hair..." Chrom mumbled, gesturing towards the strands of hair that now brushed against his face.

"It's a bit impractical compared to my pigtails, but I'll manage somehow." she said with a smile.

She looked up at Chrom's face and studied his expression. His eyes shone with determination, but he was still calm and collected. He could be a bit rash sometimes, but he was a great leader who most of the Shepherds looked up to. Even on the battlefield, he always prioritized the safety of his own allies over his own safety.

"Hey, you two lovebirds! We're on the battlefield!" Lissa's energetic voice almost made Robin jump. "The enemy general is down, so their soldiers are retreating."

"W-we're not in love!" Robin protested, puffing her cheeks in frustration. "How many times have I told you that?"

"Oh, is that so? That's really unfortunate... everyone thinks that you are a perfect match. And you're blushing too!" Lissa giggled as she skipped towards the rest of the group that had gathered at the end of the nearby road.

Chrom seemed to ignore their conversation. He followed Lissa with a blank expression, his smile completely gone. Robin desperately wished for Chrom to say something too – anything that would just end these embarrassing conversations, but much to her disappointment, he only punched his sister playfully on her arm. Another sigh escaped her lips. Why couldn't anyone understand that she did have a special relationship with Chrom, but that it was purely a professional one? She was the tactician and he was their leader. Nothing about that had anything to do with romance. But of course everyone had to assume that they were doing other things than just discussing strategies in Chrom's tent.

No, of course she didn't have any feelings like that for anyone. After all, they were fighting in a war and there was no room for any romance at the side. She was a tactician which meant that she was responsible for the whole army. Even a small mistake could cost the lives of many people. Right now, all she wanted was to help Chrom win this war. With another sigh, she picked up her magic tome from the ground.

With her mind filled with these thoughts, Robin started walking behind Chrom and Lissa. She kept her gaze on the ground, counting the pebbles that she passed on the dirt road. For some reason, her conversation with Lissa had left her at unease. Without paying much attention to her surroundings, she found herself at the entrance to Chrom's tent after walking for a while. Apparently, Lissa had left them a few minutes ago, but Robin had been too occupied with her thoughts to notice.

"Are you okay Robin?" Chrom asked, pulling up the tent flap so that she could enter. "You look really tired."

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking about troop formations..." she lied.

"You work too hard Robin. Be sure to take care of yourself." His words were kind as usual, but for some reason, his kindness hurt her.

"Stop..." she whispered without being able to stop herself.

"Stop?"

"You always think about other people before yourself. Y-you need to take care of yourself too." Robin's cheeks slowly turned red and she lowered her voice even more. She could feel how awkwardness filled the tent.

Robin looked down at the map that was spread out on the table, avoiding Chrom's gaze. He lowered his face, trying persistently to get eye contact with her. From the corner of her eye, she could see concern in his face. And as if she had been cursed by the love goddess, she suddenly started focusing on the strangest things that she had never payed attention to before. It suddenly struck her like lightning. He was actually really handsome, just like a prince – well, he was a prince but...

"Helllooooo! Oh, I'm so sorry for interrupting your... special moment together!" Lissa smiled mischievously as she jumped into the tent.

"We were just discussing tactics like usual. Nothing special about that." Chrom smiled back at his sister, patting her on her head. "Don't disturb us. Come back later if you want something."

"Robin, are you not feeling well?" Lissa suddenly asked, poking Robin's cheek carefully.

"W-what? Why are everyone asking that today?" Robin laughed awkwardly as she tried to stop thinking about Chrom. "I was just thinking about... Gangrel! We need to be prepared when we face him!"

She was lying, but technically speaking, it wasn't really a lie. It didn't really help that Chrom kept staring at her and that Lissa kept making comments about them. Both of them were staring at her right now, with confused looks on their faces. Anyone could tell when she was lying. She didn't even feel confident in her own lies.

Sumia suddenly entered the tent, saving Robin from the awkward silence that was about to appear. She carried a raspberry pie in her hands and the sweet scent of the pie quickly filled the tent. Timid as ever, she walked towards Chrom carefully, trying her best to avoid tripping on nothing.

"I... um... baked you a pie! Sorry for interrupting your important meeting! I found these berries near our camp and I thought that I'd..." She looked over at Robin, as if she feared how she would react.

"Thank you Sumia! You are always so kind and thoughtful." Chrom said with a smile that Robin rarely saw these days.

"I'll stop wasting your precious time then! Please continue with what you were doing." Sumia clapped her hands together, happy with Chrom's reaction, and then skipped out of the tent.

Robin couldn't help but notice that Chrom was looking at Sumia in a strange way. It was something between how a brother would look proudly at his sister and how a lonely man would look at a woman. A smile was still plastered on his face as he looked down at the pie and then turned towards Robin.

"I really hope that the war will end soon. There are so many things that I need to do and want to do." Chrom said.  
>"And it's time for the prince to find a beautiful wife soon, isn't it?" Lissa asked, elbowing Robin.<p>

"Yes... perhaps it is..." Chrom replied as he looked down on the map.

But Robin wasn't stupid. She could see that Chrom was considering Sumia as his future wife. Not that she cared. Of course, she wanted Chrom to be happy. After the war, they will all go back to their normal lives in Ylisse. And that thought suddenly scared her. She had been found in a field with no memories of her past. What would her place be after the war? Would she still be next to Chrom? Would she still be his trusted tactician and friend? She mentally cursed all dark mages in the world – she had been hexed. That was the only logical explanation for her sudden anxiousness around Chrom. She would have to talk to Tharja afterwards to find out if it was her.

"Chrom, can you leave the tent for a while? I want to have a talk with Robin." Lissa didn't bother to wait for his reply. She pushed him out of the tent, into the dark night.

"Lissa, we can leave. This is Chrom's tent... we can go to my tent if you want to talk" Robin suggested. Lissa just shook her head.

"Robin. Do you like Chrom?" she asked bluntly.

"Ha? W-what?!" Robin slammed her fist into the table, unable to contain her surprise at the sudden question.

"You can't trick meeee." Lissa laughed. "Everyone can see it."

Lissa's statement kind of offended Robin. How could everyone see something that she couldn't even see herself? She was sure that she didn't have any feelings for anyone. She knew that she wasn't acting like herself. Therefore, she had been hexed – she had been cursed by someone who enjoyed playing pranks on people. She was confident that it was the true reason for her strange feelings and actions.

"I don't like Chrom in that way. I'm just not feeling well today..." Robin said, trying to keep her voice steady and calm.

"Oh well... you need to get some rest then." Lissa pointed towards Chrom's bed behind the table. "How about a small nap before dinner?"

Normally, Robin would say no. She couldn't take random naps while everyone else was working hard. And it would be very inappropriate for her, as a tactician, to sleep in Chrom's tent. But when Lissa said it, she didn't want to think about it rationally. She just wanted to get some rest and forget everything that had happened that day.

"I'll just take a small nap... please wake me up when it's time for dinner, okay?" Robin yawned as her eyelids suddenly felt heavy.

"Of course!" Lissa beamed.

The world around her seemed to collapse onto her and her vision got blurry. She didn't realize that she had been this tired. The darkness crept closer until she sank into it completely. At least her thoughts wouldn't pester her in her dreams...

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><p><strong>Those who have read the old version may notice a lot of similarities. However, you will also notice that I've changed the story a bit too. I will follow the same plot, but this time, I am going to focus on character development and try to avoid rushing the story. I hope that the story will be a lot better than the old one!<strong>

**Please leave a review if you have any thoughts you want to share or any complaints. It always a bit early to judge a story from the first chapter, but I'm still happy when people take the time to leave a comment!**


	2. Dishonesty

**Woo, hype! Next Fire Emblem game announced. But to be honest, I am kind of disappointed since the graphics made me think that it was Fire Emblem Wii U or SMT x FE... and then I was met with the 3DS gameplay. After recovering from that minor heartbreak, I've been really hyped for the game!**

**The next update may be delayed, so I'm making this chapter extra long. I want to thank you for all of the reviews – they make me motivated and I've also corrected some flaws that have been pointed out to me. I also want to thank the persons who pointed out that someone had translated my story. I've contacted the author and we've reached an agreement. I granted the author permission to translate the story, but because of the negative comments, the author decided to delete the fic. **

**I still wanted to include the C and B support conversations between Robin and Chrom in this story, just like my old fic, just to throw in some funny moments that also will make their relationship progress. So for this chapter, the C conversation will be present!**

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><p>Confusion immediately filled Robin's mind as she slowly tried to open her eyes. Her mind felt hazy and her body was limp. Everything around her felt awfully familiar, but still strange. She turned around carefully, noting that she was lying on a bed that was quite big, but harder than her own. The room was pitch black and she couldn't hear any sounds nearby. Blinking a few times, she tried to search her memory for clues. Lissa had thrown Chrom out of the tent and she had persuaded Robin into resting there... which meant... that this was Chrom's tent. And she had been sleeping in his bed.<p>

Despite being both sleepy and confused, Robin's cheeks turned red instantly. She almost jumped out of the bed as her head turned frantically from her left towards her right, trying to find Chrom. He didn't seem to be in the tent, but it was too dark for her to tell. It made her both happy and sad at the same time. He had decided to let her sleep in his tent, which meant that he cared for her, but the fact that he wasn't there probably meant that he didn't feel comfortable so close to her. No, it didn't have anything to do with romance – as his tactician, she had expected him to trust her so much that other feelings wouldn't matter. It was more like a strong bond between comrades.

Another thought suddenly struck her. She was pretty sure that she had asked Lissa to wake her up before dinner... so why was she still in Chrom's tent? Although some of the Shepherds had stated that she was a heavy sleeper before, she knew that Lissa's pranks always succeeded in waking her up. The only explanation was that she did it deliberately. Robin mentally facepalmed as she scolded herself for being so stupid. Lissa's wide grin should have made it obvious that she had been plotting something. Oh, how she was going to let Lissa suffer for this...

Deciding to sneak out of the tent, so that no rumors would be born, Robin slowly crawled away from the pillow, letting her feet down on the floor one at a time. She expected the floor to be hard and rough, but it felt awfully soft, almost as if she had stepped on a person's stomach. Actually, it _was _someone's stomach. It was too late to realize her mistake. Looking down at her feet, panic starting to spread inside her, she was met with the calm face of a certain blue-haired prince. Apparently, he had been sleeping on the floor next to the bed on a thin towel. And Robin had been too stupid to notice that. She began to wonder if some dark curse had crippled the intellect that she was known for, and replaced it with mere confusion and uncertainty.

"H-huh?" Chrom stirred slightly, opening one of his eyes with a frown.

"O-oh, good morning Chrom!" Robin exclaimed, a bit too loud, even if the room was still pitch black. She just needed to act like normal to avoid making things awkward between them, but she was already failing.

"But it's still dark Robin..." He closed his eyes again. "Go back to sleep..."

"H-hey, wait!" Robin's hands fumbled in the dark, trying to find a lantern.

"What is it Robin? You've been acting strangely... Are you hiding something from me?" His eyes were still closed, but he seemed to be completely awake.

"What? Of course not! It's just that I won't be able to fall asleep again... can't we just chat about some casual stuff?" Robin suggested while she continued searching for a light source.

Chrom didn't bother to reply. He could sense that something was strange about Robin's behavior, so he forced himself to sit up. After a few seconds, light filled the tent and Robin took a seat next to Chrom on the floor, placing a lantern between them. There was nothing special about this situation. After all, she didn't talk about tactics with Chrom all the time. Sometimes, they would sit by the fire and talk about random things like the future. But right now, it felt like something else. She didn't know what it was, but she could feel something warm inside and her cheeks were still slightly red. Maybe it was because of the faint light from the lantern, but Chrom looked different to her.

"What do you want to talk about?" Chrom asked, his voice kind like usual. For some reason, his voice soothed her.

"Eh..." Robin's gaze dropped down to the floor. She wondered if he would misunderstand the question that she wanted to ask. "Do you like Sumia?"

"Well... she is a very kind girl and I care for her..." he seemed to be surprised by her question. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, there's no special reason. You look cute together." she mumbled, her eyes still fixed on the floor.

"Really...?" Chrom sighed, as if he was considering something that troubled him.

"Thank you Chrom."

"For what?" He smiled at her.

"It must have been painful to sleep on the floor. I'll return to my own tent now." Robin smiled back at him.

"You seemed to be so tired. I hope you didn't think that I'd push you down on the floor if I found you asleep on my bed?" he said, letting out a laugh.

"Of course not!" Robin puffed her cheeks – a habit that she had grown into after the continuous teasing from certain members of the Shepherds. "But I still want to thank you. A lady needs her beauty sleep, after all!"

Robin giggled as she placed her hand on Chrom's back. She had expected Chrom to say something in reply, but he just stared at her as if she had said something unbelievable. He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find any words.

"Er..."

"...What?" Narrowing her eyes, Robin turned around to face Chrom. "Did I say something strange?"

"Er... not really, but... it's nothing." Chrom suddenly seemed really nervous. "It's just that... I didn't consider you to be the type to care about beauty and... I suppose I've never really thought of you as a lady.

Shock. What a bombshell to drop. Robin inhaled slowly, trying to digest the implication of the remark. That explained why he had slept on the ground next to her with that carefree expression plastered on his face, as if she had been Frederick or any other of his friends. She felt extremely offended by this, but she couldn't let her feelings swallow her.

"E-excuse me?!" Robin tried her best to contain her anger, but her voice betrayed her.

"No! I mean – I didn't mean – not like that!" Chrom started stuttering as he desperately tried to find the words that didn't sound like an insult. "That is to say, a 'lady' per se... Er, you know... how you fight and strategize, and... not to say that a lady can't fight, but... Gods, this is coming out all wrong. Er... you know what I mean..."

"No, I don't!" Robin almost screamed at him. Where was her Elthunder tome when she needed it?

"It's just that my image of a lady is someone prim and proper... and perfumed and pretty... Nothing like you at all! When I look at you, I just don't see a 'lady'!" He chose his words carefully, but each word just made it sound worse. "H-hey, Robin?"

It was too late for him to apologize. She was already walking towards the exit, her arms swinging violently back and forth while she moved. Her fists were clenched and she almost ripped away the flap that covered the entrance as she walked outside. She left the entrance open, so he rose from his position on the floor to cover the hole, but Robin furiously stepped inside the tent again. The wind made her pigtails blow against his face.

"R-Robin, what are you doing with that rock?" Chrom jumped back, pointing towards the icicle-shaped rock in Robin's hand.

"I'm thinking that a sharp blow to the head might help fix your eyesight!"

"No! W-wait! It was... just a joke! Gotta go!" He laughed awkwardly and before she could react, he had escaped.

With a sigh, Robin dropped the rock, letting it bounce a short distance into the tent. She didn't know that Chrom could be so thick-headed and insensitive to a girl's feelings. While she didn't expect or want Chrom to treat her like a spoiled princess, she had thought that he at least _knew _that she was a lady and not Frederick version two with pigtails. She sighed again. How couldn't he see that she was a girl? No, she couldn't understand his thoughts at all. Actually, he wasn't even someone worth being angry over. Deciding to ignore him, Robin marched away from the tent, her face still showing her frustration.

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><p>"Robin slept with Chrom last night!" Lissa exclaimed happily while everyone were eating breakfast. This earned her a glare from Robin who had been eating a lot more than normal.<p>

"W-what are you talking about Lissa? Stop making everyone misunderstand it!" Chrom hid a blush as he waved a hand in front of Lissa's face. Usually, he just ignored her comments, but it seemed like he was still thinking about the awkward encounter with Robin.

"Oh, calm down brother! I was just joking." Lissa giggled. The other members of the Shepherds stopped listening, although they had been quite excited and curious a few moments ago.

Chrom glanced towards Robin's seat carefully, as if staring directly into her eyes would kill him. He wasn't the type of man who was good at doing things subtly though, so she noticed him immediately, returning his glance with a hostile glare.

"Hey Robin... you seem to be down..." Lissa curiously turned her head towards her brother. "Did Chrom say something rude?"

"Well... apparently I'm not a 'lady' in his eyes..." Robin mumbled, her voice low. Normally, she would deny anything that Lissa said about Chrom and her, but she didn't care anymore.

"What?!" Lissa frowned. She quickly turned her head towards Chrom's seat again, but he wasn't there anymore. "Chrom, you coward..."

With a hand placed on Robin's shoulder, Lissa leaned in closer to whisper something in her ears. She paused for a moment before opening her mouth to speak.

"But Robin... you have to admit that you like Chrom now. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so sad, right?"

"WHAT!" Anger mixed with embarrassment as Robin furiously bit into the bread that she was holding. "IT WAS AN INSULT! ANY GIRL WOULD BE OFFENDED BY THAT!"

"Aaah, so scary!" Lissa muffled a laugh with her hand. "I've never seen you so mad before."

Robin didn't know how to reply to that statement. She had to admit that this was the first time that she had screamed at someone in public. Even Miriel, who usually only paid attention to her scientifical analyses, raised her head to stare at Robin. Uncomfortable with all eyes suddenly focused on her, Robin quickly excused herself and left the tent, dragging Lissa behind her.

Making sure that no one else was nearby, Robin let go of Lissa's hand. The camp was still visible from their location, but she had to be sure that no one could eavesdrop. Lissa didn't say anything, but she stared at Robin, as if she was trying to read her mind.

"Robin... I'm just going to give you some advice. I won't talk about Chrom anymore. It's just general advice." Lissa leaned against a nearby tree, crossing her arms. "Be honest with your own feelings. You don't want to regret it in the future."

"Do you think that I'm dishonest?" Robin asked, slightly hurt by the comment. She didn't know if it was because Lissa was right or if it hurt her pride as the army's kind and caring tactician. Of course she was honest.

"As I said, it's just some general advice. Just remember it." Lissa said with sigh. Her usual cheerful personality was completely gone. "Robin... I don't want to you to be hurt."

After saying those words, Lissa put a hand on Robin's shoulder for a moment, before leaving her alone to think about the advice. Robin slowly leaned backwards, letting her head rest on the soft grass. Gazing up towards the blue sky, she started to ask herself the same questions that Lissa had asked her. Did she like Chrom? Well, of course she did, but she was sure that it was just a strong bond between the tactician and the leader. But she couldn't deny that she cared for him a lot and that just seeing him would bring a warm and fuzzy feeling into her. And even if she was mad for his rude remark, she couldn't bring herself to hate him for it.

The clouds drifted slowly across the sky, casting shadows on the ground where she lay. Just like the clouds, her own thoughts drifted around in her mind. It frightened her – the feeling of uncertainty. This wasn't like a battle where she could accurately calculate and predict the outcome or create strategies to reach victory. Her own feelings were impossible to predict and control in the same way. She didn't even know what her own feelings meant. Yes, it frightened her. The fact that she didn't know what to do, what would happen or what possibilities she had. It frightened her.

Shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight with her right arm, she cast a glance towards the camp. Would she feel like this forever? She sighed – she had been full of those these days – as she closed her eyes. Maybe it was time for her to realize that she was denying something. Maybe it was time for her to be honest...

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><p><strong>I stopped writing my old story before I reached the part with the children. While they won't show up during the next few chapters, I will include them and hopefully make the story more interesting and unpredictable. For the old readers, this chapter was once again quite familiar. However, from now on, the story will follow its own path, branching away from the old story. It's still the same plot, but I'm going to change some major plot points.<strong>

**Thanks for reading! The next chapter will hopefully be up in the beginning of February.**


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